Brother's Are Forever
by boothbones06
Summary: A sequil to A Time Together. Ray has decided to leave the Ghostbusters after Peter's father died. Ray still blames himself for not telling Peter. Will the guys be able to bring him back? And what about his memory?


Title: Brothers are Forever Authors: Jenn with Susie Rated PG-13 Summary: Sequel to A Time Together. The guys must find a brokenhearted Ray, but can they find him in time to help Peter as well? Copyright 2004 Disclaimers: We don't own them, but if Ray's for sale we will buy him. Thanks to Sandy for the beta  
  
Ray looked up blearily as the plane's tinny speaker crackled to life. "Please make sure that your seat belts are securely fastened and tray tables are upright and locked into position. We'll be making our landing shortly," the flight attendant said cheerfully into the mike.  
  
Ray turned away to look out the window again after giving his seatbelt a tug to make sure it was tight. There was a slight bit of turbulence as the 737 left the cloud cover and the city of Orlando sparkled in the midday sun.  
  
A few minutes later, the plane touched down with a thump, taxied down the runway and came to a halt at its final destination of Gate 97. The speaker crackled again. "Welcome to Orlando International Airport. The local time is 3:30 p.m. For those of you making connections and your gate number wasn't called earlier, there are gate agents waiting to assist you. You may claim your bags at Baggage Claim 4. Thank you for flying..."  
  
Ray tuned out the flight attendant's voice as the other passengers rose to their feet to exit the plane after the door was opened. He got his carry-on from the overhead bin and trundled out the plane, mumbling a, "Thank you," as he passed by the flight attendants and the pilot.  
  
Ray walked into the main part of the terminal and sat down on an empty bench. He watched families walking by, the children chattering excitedly about going to meet Mickey Mouse or Spider-Man. He turned away and did some more people watching for a few minutes until he closed his eyes with a sigh. Everyone seemed to be so happy here.  
  
He didn't deserve to feel that way. Not with what had gone down. The only thing that he was sure of was that he had to get away from everything and everyone who could make him feel better.  
  
Ray opened his eyes again and looked upwards. A sign caught his attention – the ticket counter sign. He frowned and then nodded once, making a decision. He slowly rose to his feet and began trudging in the direction of the ticket counter.  
  
The plane landed in Chicago for a stop prior to continuing onto its final destination towards Los Angeles. Ray decided to stay instead of continuing on. It was freezing and he felt he deserved to stay where it was cold. He hailed a taxi and left the airport. With the last thirty dollars he had in his pocket (he had left his credit cards at home and paid for the one-way ticket in cash), he paid the fare. Now he was broke and no place to go. He couldn't go back, not after what he had done. He had betrayed the one man who was like a brother to him by not telling him that Charlie was dying. As he shivered, the rain fell on him and mixed in with his tears and ran down from his eyes to his lips. Ray walked along the city streets trying to keep warm, even though he had his winter jacket on, the wheels of his roll-away bag making a racket as he moved along the concrete sidewalk.  
  
Ray didn't know what to do. Exhausted both in heart and body, he sat down in a dark alley, crying. What was he doing here? He needed to be with the guys, with Egon, and Winston, and even Peter, not shivering in a freezing cold alley in Chicago. He continued crying for a while wishing he could even just talk to Egon to see how Peter was doing. Peter was pretty bad when Ray left him, but then Ray remembered that it was his fault, not Peter's. Ray let Peter down and Peter blamed him for it. There was no way that he could go back now.  
  
Ray finally stood up and started to think of some sort of plan. The only problem was that he had no idea what kind of plan he needed. Ray stopped short when he saw some people walking up to him.  
  
"You look like you're a little lost," a tall man with a beard and a baseball bat said as he walked right in front of him.  
  
"Um... I live here," Ray explained.  
  
"Yeah... Sure you do! Why don't I show you to where you're trying to go?" another man asked. He was shorter and didn't have a beard – but he had a tattoo that started at his chin and appeared to continue all over his body.  
  
The man that stood in front of Ray was huge. He had muscles, and so did his friend. Ray backed off and tried to run but they caught up with him, grabbing the handle of his bag and tripping him. "Give me your wallet!" the bigger man grunted as he sat on top of Ray.  
  
"There's nothing in it!" Ray exclaimed, shaking in terror. "I swear!"  
  
"We'll see about that," the bigger man said and grabbed the wallet from Ray's pants pocket. "You're right. There IS nothing," he said as he tossed the empty wallet aside.  
  
"What do we do about it, Kyle?" the shorter man asked, beginning to grin.  
  
"Beat him senseless. He's worthless anyway," Kyle replied with a leer.  
  
"I'm not worthless!" Ray cried, trying to push the man off his body. "I'm a Ghostbuster!"  
  
"Right – and I'm the President of the United States," the shorter man said and suddenly hit him in the side with the bat. Kyle joined in with his fists.  
  
Ray gasped for air as the two men rose to their feet and ran off at the distant sound of police sirens. He crawled to the nearest building he saw and from what he could barely tell through his swollen eyes, it almost looked like a firehouse.  
  
"H... Help..." he gasped, hoping someone would hear. He was bleeding badly and he was sure that his ribs were broken or cracked, and maybe his hand was busted as well. Ray was trying not to pass out when a younger man came up to him.  
  
"Jesus, what happened to you? Jo, Get the med-kit out!" the man cried.  
  
That was when Ray passed out and let the darkness take him.  
  
It was nearly dawn when Ray slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was what he thought was an angel. He smiled at her through swollen lips and Joanna Curtis returned it. "Hey there. How are you feeling?" she asked in a soft voice.  
  
"My head hurts. Are you an angel?" Ray mumbled.  
  
"Jo's an angel!" a voice broke in, followed by a snort of laughter.  
  
Jo turned around and threw a pillow at the laughing man, who easily dodged it. "Peter Miller, you be quiet and go tell the Captain that he's awake!"  
  
Peter, still snorting with laughter, nodded and left the room. Jo turned back to Ray. "No, I'm not an angel. My name is Joanna Curtis and you are...?"  
  
Ray stared at her for a moment, trying to think. "I don't know," he said finally.  
  
"You don't know who you are?" she asked.  
  
Ray shook his head, beginning to panic. "I don't know! I have no idea who I am."  
  
Peter and their captain, Frank Burns, walked in. "How's our young friend, Jo?"  
  
"He doesn't know who he is, Captain," she replied sadly.  
  
Peter Venkman paced back and forth near the terminal's ticket counter. "Where IS he, Egon? The agent at the desk back at JFK confirmed that Ray got on that flight to Orlando! We've come all the way down here and we've searched everywhere in the city – from the amusement parks to the shopping malls. Why can't we find him?"  
  
Egon rubbed his chin for a moment before he replied, "Ray went somewhere else."  
  
"But WHERE, Egon? Further south? Towards Miami?"  
  
Egon shook his head. "Think for a minute, Peter, and put yourself in Ray's shoes. He loves Orlando – especially Disney World – that is, if he was in his normal state of mind. The last time we saw him, he was miserable and feeling guilty. Would you stay here if you wanted to wallow in it?"  
  
Peter stopped short at Egon's words. "No. I wouldn't," he admitted, feeling rather guilty himself. "You don't think that...?"  
  
Egon nodded. "I think that Ray is so out of it that he plunked down cash for a ticket somewhere else." He paused for a moment. "A one-way ticket so he didn't have to face you or the rest of us. Or himself, for that matter."  
  
Peter's face fell for a second before it grew determined. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's see if these crack ticket agents will give us access to all passenger lists." With those words, he turned around and headed for the ticket counter, Egon at his heels.  
  
The Captain nodded and checked Ray over. "Okay, sir. I think we should take you to the hospital."  
  
Ray looked doubtful. "T-The hospital?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
"They'll only help you, buddy," Joanna explained. "Don't worry. I'll stay with you."  
  
Ray finally agreed and Joanna took him to the emergency room in her car. Joanna waited in the lobby while Ray got looked at.  
  
Finally, a doctor came out. "Are you the person who brought that young man in?"  
  
Joanna stood up. "Yes, Doctor. Is he okay?"  
  
"He has a few nasty bumps and bruises. His ribs are bruised badly. He's damn lucky that they weren't broken. He has also suffered from a slight concussion. I believe that's why he doesn't know who he is. I suggest that you take him home and let him get to know the place again."  
  
"The only problem with that, Doctor, is that he doesn't belong here," Joanna replied. "He was found in front of the firehouse barely conscious and he had no ID on him."  
  
The doctor's eyebrow rose. "I see. Maybe you should turn him over to the police. He could be a criminal."  
  
"Doc, I know my instincts and they're telling me he's not a bad guy. Can I take him home now?"  
  
"Yeah. Just let me sign the release papers."  
  
After Ray was released from the hospital, they headed back to the firehouse. "Okay. The doc said you're fine but I need to call you something," Joanna murmured. "Hmmm, let me see..." She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. "I know! How about Simon? My brother name's was Simon." Her voice lowered as she said, "He died two years ago saving a child in a fire."  
  
Gosh, that's sad," Ray whispered, lowering his head.  
  
Joanna nodded. "Yeah, it was," she said a little tearfully. "You remind me of him a little bit, though."  
  
Ray smiled. "Yeah, you can call me Simon. I wish I knew more about myself but I can't remember a thing," he said sadly.  
  
Joanna nodded. "You'll remember, don't worry. In the meantime, you can stay with us as long as it's all right with the Captain."  
  
They got back to the firehouse and Joanna went to talk to the captain. "Hey, Cap! Is it okay if he stays with us for a while?"  
  
"Yeah. Sure, it's okay but you have to find out who he is, Jo. He was beat up pretty badly and we need to make a report to the guys in blue. There could be a missing person's report on him."  
  
"Sure, Captain. No problem." She walked from the office and into the hallway where Ray was waiting for her. "Okay, Simon. You can stay because it's getting late. You're about Peter's size and he has an extra pair of pajamas. Why don't you get some rest? I'll see you in the morning. The doctor says you should rest for a few days and I agree. You may feel all right, but concussions act funny sometimes."  
  
Ray nodded, "Okay, I'll rest then." his eyes were already starting to close. "You know what?"  
  
What?" Joanna asked.  
  
"I was scared at first when I came here but now I'm not," Ray said with a smile. "I feel safe with you. You're thinking of Simon? Aren't you? I mean the real one?" Ray asked.  
  
Joanna stared in Ray's eyes. "Y-You kind of remind me of him like I said and y-you look a little like him too," she whispered sadly. "I miss him so much."  
  
Joanna left the room after Ray fell asleep. "Hey, Jo! Come here - I want you to see something."  
  
"Yeah, Pete. What is it?"  
  
"I taped this the other day. You know about those so-called ghost hunters in New York?"  
  
"Yeah - the Ghostbusters. Why?"  
  
"Take a look at this tape. I knew that guy looked familiar."  
  
Peter popped in the tape and Jo watched it. She then saw that it was the same man that was asleep in the bunkroom smiling at the camera. "Hey! It's Simon..."  
  
"His name is Stantz. Ray Stantz," Peter told her gently.  
  
Joanna smiled. "I knew there was something special about him. He helped save the world when that creep Gozer was around."  
  
Peter shrugged. "Whatever. I'm going to bed," he said. "Don't wake him up now. Tell him in the morning. He needs his rest."  
  
Joanna nodded.  
  
Peter was a wreck. He had been since Ray had been missing. It was his entire fault and he blamed himself even though the guys told him not to. Not for the first time, he silently cursed the airlines. None of them were willing to release their passenger lists to him and Egon while they were down in Orlando – even with him threatening to sue them, the airport, and the state of Florida.  
  
"Peter Venkman, if you don't stop that damn pacing, you're going to drive me nuts! I mean it! If you don't knock it off, I'm going to nail your blasted feet to the floor!" Janine threatened one morning as Peter paced back and forth in his office.  
  
Peter sighed. "I can't help it, Janine, I'm worried about him, and I drove him off. He should be here. Damn it!" Peter cried, pounding his fist on the wall in sheer frustration.  
  
"Well he's not, okay? He'll come back. You know Ray," Janine said.  
  
"And if he refuses?" Peter asked.  
  
"Then you talk him into it!" she snapped. "Now quit worrying or I'm going to take the rest of the day off on account of my boss being insane!"  
  
Peter smiled at her. She always knew how to cheer the guys up - him especially. They were like brother and sister and bickered constantly, but when one of them was in trouble, sad, or hurt, they stuck by each other. "Thanks, Janine," he said, still smiling.  
  
The phone rang suddenly and Peter tried to grab the receiver but Janine beat him to it. "Ghostbusters!" she snapped, glaring at Peter.  
  
"Yes... This is Joanna Curtis from Chicago Fire Division Three, Station 47," a sad voice on the other end said.  
  
"Yes? Can I help you?" Janine asked.  
  
"Do you know a Doctor Raymond Stantz?" she asked.  
  
"Yes! Yes we do! He's our colleague!" Janine cried. "Where is he? Do you have him? Is he all right?"  
  
Peter was at Janine's desk in a flash and hit the alarm. Janine covered her ears, glaring at him as she tried to listen. The other guys also came down. "Janine! Is that call about Ray? Gimme that!" he demanded.  
  
Peter reached for the phone but Janine held him back with one hand. "I got it, Dr. V!" she yelled over the alarm. She turned her head away from him. "Yes, your name is Joanna Curtis and Ray is with you. Is he okay?"  
  
Joanna moved the phone away from her ear and sighed in relief when the klaxon at the opposite end of the phone ceased its blaring. "Yes. Yes, I believe we do. He's all right now but he did run into a little bit of trouble. He was mugged and right now he doesn't know who he is, but I think if he's taken back to a place he knows, his memory will come back to him."  
  
Janine let out the breath she was holding. "Thank you. Could you please give me your address? The guys will be on the next available flight." She carefully wrote down the address then hung up the phone. "Ray's in Chicago and he's got amnesia. He was mugged."  
  
"Mugged?" Egon asked. "And he's lost his memory?"  
  
Janine nodded. "Oh Egon, I'm so worried about him. We have to bring him home."  
  
Egon nodded. "Yes, we do," he said.  
  
Peter kept quiet until he suddenly turned around and retreated upstairs. Egon followed him while Janine picked up the phone to call the airline and get them on the next available flight to Chicago.  
  
"Peter?" Egon asked, walking into the bunkroom.  
  
Peter was sitting on his bed with Ray's Stay Puft cradled in his arms. "It's my entire fault that all this mess happened," he sighed.  
  
"It's not," Egon said as he sat down next to his friend.  
  
"I drove him away. If I hadn't, he'd be here right now," Peter lowered his head. "I'm sorry for being so damn selfish."  
  
Egon put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Peter, you were upset. Your father died and it's perfectly understandable to act irrational at times. We all do. We wouldn't be human if we were perfect all the time. Raymond just tends to take things more personally than most people do. You're very close to him and he felt he betrayed you by not telling you that your father was ill. But you know Ray; he'd take the blame if the sky ever fell down."  
  
Peter smiled a little at that. "Yeah, that's true. But God, Egon, at first I was so angry at him and I didn't care if he ever came back."  
  
"And that's normal. Anger is a part of the grieving process, Peter. You've told that to me, Ray, and all of us at one point or another. You should listen to yourself. You do give good advice once in a while," Egon said with a gentle smile.  
  
Egon, what if we never get Ray back to normal?" Peter whispered. "I'm scared... If he... If he never comes back fully, it's all my fault."  
  
"Now you're beginning to sound like Ray," Egon said, still smiling. "He'll come back. Once we bring him home, his memory will start coming back. If not, then we'll just make him as comfortable as possible here, but don't worry. I have faith that his memory will return and things will be normal again."  
  
After the plane landed in Chicago, Peter wasted no time in getting a taxi and they found themselves standing in front of Station 47, where a young man came out to greet them. "Hey! You must be the Ghostbusters. I'm Pete Miller," he said with a smile.  
  
"Whatever. Peter Venkman, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore. Now where's Ray?" Peter asked curtly.  
  
Egon glared at Peter, who ignored him. "I must apologize for my colleague's rudeness," he said, reaching out to shake the fireman's hand.  
  
"I understand," Pete murmured in response as he shook Egon's hand and then Winston's.  
  
Peter's eyes darted back and forth in hopes of seeing Ray - and he wasn't disappointed. He saw Ray exiting the station with a young woman and the rest of the firemen accompanying him. Peter wanted to go to him but Egon shook his head. They held their breaths as Ray waked over to them.  
  
"Joanna said you guys know me."  
  
Peter nodded. "Yeah, we know you. Your name is Ray Stantz and you're a Ghostbuster."  
  
Ray studied Peter for a long moment. "I see - and what do I do?"  
  
"You bust ghosts," Winston answered before Peter could reply.  
  
"Uh huh. I bust ghosts." Ray looked at the three men scornfully. "Do you really expect me to believe that I bust something that doesn't exist? What kind of a fool do you think I am?"  
  
Peter sighed. "Ray, maybe if we take you back to see everything you'll believe us."  
  
Ray just shrugged. "Whatever." He didn't sound like his normal perky self.  
  
Joanna went up to him. "Go with them, Ray. It's true, all of it. You're a Ghostbuster. These are your friends and ghosts do exist. Please! You've trusted me all along. Trust me again and follow your heart. Go with them."  
  
Ray sighed and finally nodded. "All right, I will," he said reluctantly.  
  
Joanna smiled but at the same time was a little tearful. Ray hugged her. "Thanks for everything, Joanna. Thank you - all of you," he said as he glanced at the firemen.  
  
"You're welcome, Dr. Stantz," the Captain said with a smile. "Good luck with everything. I hope that you get your memory back."  
  
"Thanks. Me too," Ray said.  
  
The guys flew back to New York later on that day. They arrived at the firehouse in the evening and Janine ran over to hug Ray. "Oh Ray!" she exclaimed and kissed his cheek. Ray blushed at the enthusiastic welcome. "I'm Janine. You guys hired me, and I'm your secretary," she said by way of explanation.  
  
Ray nodded, a little uneasy as he looked around the place. A slimy and small green blob suddenly flew over to him.  
  
"RAY! RAY! RAY!" Slimer cried, putting his arms around him.  
  
"AAAHHHHHH!!!!" Ray screeched and jumped away from the little ghost.  
  
"Slimer, stop it!" Winston cried, trying to pull him off Ray. "Slimer, come on! You can see Ray later!"  
  
Slimer backed off, scared. He flew back upstairs.  
  
"W-What was that?" Ray cried, shaking. "What is this stuff on me?"  
  
"That is ecto-plasma," Egon said. "Slimer is a ghost."  
  
"Well, if he's a ghost, then go get him!" Ray cried. "He slimed me!"  
  
"Are you guys sure you want his memory back?" Peter joked and was rewarded with evil glances from the guys. "Just kidding!" he exclaimed, backing off. He turned around and headed towards Ray. "You okay, buddy?" he asked.  
  
"No, I'm NOT okay! I don't understand one thing that's going on around here! I want explanations! Why am I here? What is this place? Where are my parents – and the rest of my family?" Ray sat down, frustrated. "I just want to know who I am!"  
  
"Oh Ray," Janine whispered, tears sparkling in her eyes.  
  
"Where's my family?" he asked again.  
  
Peter sat next to him, "Ray... Um... Errr... Your family was killed," he whispered. "Y-Your parents died in a car accident a long time ago and you've been on your own ever since. But since then, you've met me and Egon, and now Winston and Janine and we've been your family."  
  
Ray stared at Peter with tears in his eyes. "I don't believe you!" he yelled and ran upstairs, not knowing where he was going.  
  
"Ray!" Peter cried and followed him.  
  
Peter found Ray sitting on a bed. His eyes were darting around the room. Peter approached him quietly.  
  
"How old?" Ray asked in a low voice.  
  
"How old were you when your parents died?" Peter asked.  
  
Ray nodded, not looking up at Peter.  
  
"You were ten years old."  
  
Ray slowly looked up at Peter. "And I was on my own? At ten? Look pal, I may not know who I am but I know that no child of ten is ever left to be on their own."  
  
'I practically was', Peter thought to himself. "Some ten year olds are and can survive but I was wrong about that. You were raised in a foster home. You come from Morrisville."  
  
"That sounds like a hick town."  
  
"It is."  
  
"And I have no family?"  
  
"You do have an aunt and a cousin. Your aunt's name is Lois and your cousin name is Sam - short for Samantha."  
  
Ray stood up, his eyes blazing with anger. "Then you lied to me when you said I had no family."  
  
"No, Ray. I didn't lie."  
  
"What do you call it?"  
  
"Ray, Peter didn't lie. When he said you had no family, he meant like a father and mother."  
  
"You stay out of this, Four Eyes! I wasn't talking to you!" Ray pointed at Peter. "He lied to me. I came here in good faith and he lied to me!"  
  
Egon turned to Peter. "Peter, go downstairs. I'll talk to Ray."  
  
Peter without saying a word turned around and walked from the room. Egon turned around and faced Ray. "Okay, Ray. Let's talk."  
  
Ray sighed, not wanting to hear any of it. "You're just going to lie to me too," he whispered, turning away.  
  
Egon put a hand on Ray's shoulder, turning the unhappy man around to face him. "I know that this is hard to take in, Ray, but you must trust us. We are your friends - your family."  
  
"Peter said I didn't have any family, remember?" Ray snapped.  
  
Egon sighed. This was going to be more difficult than he expected. "Ray, let me explain. As I've told you before, Peter meant that you didn't have a mother or father, but you do have family around. He was not specific, and for that we apologize," he said. "Peter has never lied to you. He loves you like a brother. You are his brother - you're our brother. Here - let me show you something."  
  
Egon pulled out a photo album, "This is the year we met. See how young you were? You were just coming to college at age 17. When you first came, you were shy and not willing to talk to many people at all. I had you as one of my students and I realized just how bright you were. You passed every one of my exams with the highest mark. After a while, I hired you as a lab assistant. See? That's a picture of you and me working together. Peter is the one who took the picture."  
  
Ray simply nodded. Nothing was coming back to him.  
  
"As time grew, we became closer and closer friends, and soon, we were like family. We ended up living together and then starting a business together - the Ghostbusters..." Egon motioned towards the walls. "Here's a picture of us when we first started the business."  
  
Ray smiled a little at the picture. They were standing in front of the firehouse and Peter was making a face behind Egon while someone else was taking the picture. Ray guessed that the person who took the picture was the secretary named Janine.  
  
"Anything?" Egon asked.  
  
Ray shook his head. "Nothing. This is so frustrating. I do believe you now but I want to know who I am." His eyes watered a little.  
  
"And you will, I promise, but first we have to show you what we do. And Ray - the name is Egon. Don't be afraid to use it. I'm going back downstairs. When you're ready come down and join us."  
  
Ray watched as Egon left the room. He sat back down on the bed and looked at the pictures.  
  
Slimer slowly peeked into the room via the ceiling. "Ray okay? Slimer not mean scare you."  
  
Ray looked up at the strange green blob looking down so miserably at him. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry that I scared you. Your name is Slimer?"  
  
"Yeah. You name me."  
  
Ray stared at Slimer, his eyebrows rising. "I can see why," he murmured in an aside.  
  
"Coming downstairs?" the little ghost asked.  
  
"Yeah. I guess so."  
  
"Yay, Ray! Coming downstairs."  
  
Ray giggled a little as he walked down the stairs. He entered a room which he figured was the entertainment room since there was a TV there. He saw the brown haired guy sitting on the sofa. Now what was his name? Oh yeah - Paul. "Uh, Paul... I want to say I'm sorry for calling you a liar."  
  
Peter looked up at Ray and smiled. "Hey, that's okay. Come on over and have a seat. By the way, the name is Peter, not Paul."  
  
"Oh. Sorry."  
  
"Well, that hasn't changed!" Peter playfully remarked.  
  
"What hasn't changed?"  
  
"You saying you're sorry."  
  
"I do that a lot?" Ray asked.  
  
"Yep. A lot," Peter replied.  
  
Ray smiled sheepishly. "I guess I better try and stop doing that."  
  
"No - don't. It's who you are and I wouldn't have it any other way, Ray."  
  
"I wish I knew that for sure," Ray sighed. "I don't know if I will ever know who I am."  
  
Peter also sighed and put a hand on Ray's shoulder, turning away when he felt his eyes water. "Ray, I've have to talk to you," he said in a husky voice when he regained his composure.  
  
"Yes, Peter?" Ray asked.  
  
"Well... First of all, I wanted to say that you're my brother - my little brother - and I love you," Peter said as he gave Ray a hug.  
  
When Ray looked nervous about it, Peter backed off, a little hurt but he tried not to act that way because he knew that Ray was scared. He decided to continue with what he was going to say. "That's not all I want to say. Before all this happened, my um, my father died," Peter lowered his head.  
  
"Oh, Peter. I'm sorry," Ray said, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Peter nodded. "Well... I don't deserve your sympathy," he said.  
  
"Why not?" Ray asked.  
  
"Because of how I treated you. It's a long story, and let's just say that you wouldn't have this problem if it wasn't for me but I just said some things I didn't mean to say and I'm sorry. Ray, it wasn't you. I was just upset about my Dad," Peter mumbled as he lowered his head.  
  
"It's okay. You're forgiven," Ray said. "Feel better?"  
  
Peter sighed. "Yeah, but I wish you knew what you forgave me for."  
  
Ray only nodded as he watched Peter get up and leave the room. That night, Ray had a dream. In his dream, he saw an older man that resembled Peter a lot. The man was standing at his bed and he couldn't help but stare at the man, who was wearing a tweed jacket and smiling like a Cheshire cat.  
  
"Hey there, kid! Long time, no see. Glad to see you back."  
  
Ray looked at him and frowned. "Do I know you?"  
  
"Yeah, you know me. I'm Charlie Venkman."  
  
Ray sat up, his round face etched with sorrow. "I do know you. You wouldn't let me tell Peter that you were dying. Peter hated me for that! How could you do that to me?" he demanded.  
  
The man didn't reply, but simply disappeared.  
  
Ray suddenly woke up, shaking. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sprang out of his bed and leapt over to Peter's. "Peter, wake up! Please wake up! Please forgive me! I wanted to tell you, honest, but I made a promise!"  
  
Peter stirred. "Wha...?" he mumbled as his eyes slowly came into focus. He looked up at Ray. "Ray, are you okay?" he asked with a yawn.  
  
"I wanted to tell you. Please believe me! I didn't want to hurt you. Hurting you is the last thing I ever want to do, honest! Please, Peter!"  
  
Peter then sat up, staring into the warm but unhappy eyes. "It's okay, Ray. I forgive you. I told you that ear..." Peter stopped in sudden realization. "Tell me who you are."  
  
Ray looked at Peter, confused. "You know who I am, Peter."  
  
"I want you to tell me - how did we meet?"  
  
"My name is Ray Stantz and we met at college through Egon."  
  
Peter got out of bed and hurried over to point at a soundly sleeping Winston. "Who is this guy?"  
  
"Winston. Winston Zeddemore"  
  
"How did we meet Winston?"  
  
"We needed help and Winston was hired. Peter, are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine!" Peter then ran over to Egon. "Who this guy?" he demanded.  
  
"Egon," Ray replied.  
  
"Who's our secretary and our ghost?"  
  
"Janine and Slimer. Oh Peter, I'm so sorry! The shock of losing your father's caused you to lose your memory. Don't worry, Peter! I'll help you remember."  
  
Peter suddenly let out a loud whoop, waking Egon and Winston up in the process, and ran back over to Ray, giving him a big bear hug.  
  
"Now I know you've lost your memory. You never hug like that," Ray wheezed.  
  
"No, Ray! I'm fine and so are you. Egon! Winston! Our Ray is back!"  
  
Egon and Winston quickly went over to Ray and patted him on the back.  
  
"Welcome home, homeboy," Winston said with a grin.  
  
"Yes, Raymond. Welcome home," Egon added in.  
  
Ray stared at them for a moment then it slowly came back to him. Peter's father had died and he knew the reason why but didn't tell Peter why because Charlie made him promise not to tell Peter that he was dying. Peter hated him for it and he had left but now he was back. Ray looked over at Peter. "Peter, I'm sorry."  
  
"Ray, I'm the one who should say that I'm sorry, not you."  
  
"But Peter, I knew that your father was dying - he told me. I should have told you. You had every right to talk to me the way you did."  
  
Peter shook his head. "No Ray, I didn't. Yeah, you knew and you didn't tell me. But Egon knew the truth and I didn't yell at him. I was hurt and took it out on you - and for that I'm sorry."  
  
Ray nodded. "Oh, Peter!" he exclaimed as he ran up to him and hugged him.  
  
Peter smiled. "We're brothers, Ray. Brothers forever."  
  
Ray nodded. "Yeah. We are," he said with a smile.  
  
Egon smiled as well. "I'm glad that everything is beginning to get back to normal."  
  
Winston walked over to his friends and they all gathered around in a big circle. Peter looked up and saw Slimer floating above them. "Come on, Spud. You're part of this family too."  
  
Slimer let out a happy cry and slimed his way in.  
  
Janine came in then, having heard all the commotion. Egon saw her and waved her over to join the group hug. As they hugged each other, Ray was happy that he was finally home with his family.  
  
The End 


End file.
